Modular floor mats or tiles are often used as components on the construction of a flooring system. A mat or tile system may be designed as a floor covering for an entire room, or a floor covering for a section of a room. Typically, the mat or tile system components may be manufactured from, for example, semi-rigid, plasticized, virgin polyvinyl chloride, virgin/reclaimed polyvinyl chloride mixtures and also materials such as recycled rubber, or from compression molded thermoplastic materials such as, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), or thermoplastic rubber, for example. Other materials include thermoplastic co-polyesters or thermoplastic polyamides, elastomeric alloys, polyolefin blends (TPE-o) and the like.
The mat or tile system, when used as a floor or ground covering, is suitable to withstand inclement weather, harsh environments, heavy traffic, and resist damage when exposed to harsh chemicals. Primary uses for the modular floor tiles of the present invention include providing lateral support, and providing comfort and reduction of fatigue during walking or standing. In the prior art, the use of molded mats, e.g., polyurethane foam molded mats, in industrial and commercial applications is well known. These foam mats are advantageous because of the resiliency and cushioned support that the foam provides for workers when the workers are engaging in tasks that require an excessive amount of standing in a given location.
Various types of modular floor tiles have increased in popularity due to their versatility. A free-standing modular floor mat system typically provides a non-slip modular system that optionally is self-draining and has multiple configuration capabilities.
The mat system is typically assembled from mat elements or units, herein referred to as mat or tiles. Typically, each mat or tile comprises interlocking members which connect adjacent panel members. Male and female portions are typically employed in the form of hole and peg structures, such as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 8,006,443, or in jigsaw or tooth type structures as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,693. Conventionally, mats or tiles are assembled into a structure covering a floor or surface with a shape adapted to the intended shape of the mat or tile system. For example, the assembled mat or tile system can be simply a closed rectangular shape or a rectangular shape with inner open areas, or any overall shape that can be constructed with mat panel or tile member structures.
Further, a ramped mat component is typically attached to the periphery of the mat system, during or after assembly of the internal mat or tile components. The manner of attachment of the ramp portion is generally similar to the manner of male-female manner of attachment of the internal mat panel or tile elements, noted above. The ramp portion serves to allow a smooth transition between the upper surface of the mat or tile system and the existing flooring surface. Aside from aesthetics, the ramped portions provide a measure of safety against tripping by the user. For example, Pre Grant Publication 2009/0205269, Pre Grant Publication 2013/0291457, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,155, are illustrative of mat systems with attachable ramp components. These types of mat systems conventionally require separate ramp pieces and/or connectors to be purchased or modified to provide inside and outside corners when interlocked with the mat edges. For example, modifications by trimming ramp pieces to provide inside and outside corners, inherently weakens the integrity of the abutting ramp portions.
Further, another demand in the workplace is that floor mats need to be easily configured and reconfigured. Such prior art systems are not readily modified as they often require new ramp pieces or connectors, which may not be readily available. Further, mat systems using separate connectors have not worked well in practice because they get lost or make alignment between adjacent mats difficult during reinstallation.
In any of these mat systems, the ramped portion is affixed to a side of a mat, is and therefore not held in place as well as other internal mat members, which reinforce one another. Instead, the prior art ramp portions, being small and light relative to the mat, rely substantially upon frictional engagement between the ramp portion and a portion of the perimeter of the mat body to hold the ramp portion in place. Therefore, these designs are susceptible to being dislodged accidently by improper force moments by machinery or other devices typically used on these mats.
In light of the drawbacks noted above in prior art mat designs, a need exists to provide improved mat construction, particularly, in the area of how the mats are constructed or reused to form even greater mat areas. The present invention responds to this need with an improved mat or tile panel, as well as a method of assembling and tailoring the inventive mats or tiles into a mat system facilitating to the provision of a secure ramped border around entire mat system assembly.